Kitman Malcolm Stedman gives us his view on the 2-0 triumph at Port Vale
In a break from the norm Gills Manager Martin Allen sent the club‘s popular kitman Malcolm Stedman out to face the press after today‘s sensational 2-0 win at Port Vale, here‘s what Malcolm made of the match, “It was absolutely fantastic. It showed the character of the squad, not the team, the squad.
“It showed the character from the backroom, right the way through. They fought, they battled, they showed commitment and endeavour. They got in their faces and I thought the football and the passing was a credit to them.
“It's just a shame that we couldn't increase it by another goal but I feel sure there is more to come. I'm convinced there is more to come. I have predicted to the Gaffer that we will have an exceptionally good season this year and this is the making of a fantastic squad.”
Malcolm is in his sixth season at Gillingham and, having worked under several Managers, gave us his verdict on how the things are shaping up behind the scenes this year, adding “The feeling around the camp is professionalism, it’s gone up another gear or two.
“It’s shown in the attitude of the players. They come in, in the morning, with a big smile on their face. They’ve got a spring in their step, they do their training hard and after training they have ice baths, steam room, get in the pool and work it off.
“Then they have lunch and they all do that together. There is not one person that says I’m not doing the stream room or I’m not going to have an ice bath. They do it and it’s looking after their bodies.”
With the Gills top of League Two and unbeaten after eight games of the current campaign, Malcolm is clearly enjoying working with Martin Allen, he commented, “The Manager is very professional, very straight. He looks you in the eye if he’s got something he’s going to tell you off about.
“He does 12, 13 hours a day. He’s sometimes in at about 6.30 in the morning and doesn’t leave until very late at night. That is the commitment of his backroom staff as well. He’s a good lad, very professional.”
So with the team maintaining their record breaking start to the season, how does Malcolm season the season shaping up?, He concluded, “It’s a good start, there is a long way to go but we’ve got the squad.
“I think the Gaffer has rotated the team every game, and when people haven’t been in for two or three games, they slot in straight away. That shows where we are and I think that by Christmas we’ll have started to build up a nice comfortable cushion. I really believe it.”